Clem's Kuching Tomato Sauce Fried Noodles

 
There are three iconic culinary items which spell Kuching viz. Kuching Laksa, Kolong Mee, and Tomato Sauce* Fried Noodles. The latter can be wonton noodles of kuay teow (rice flat noodles). They are wok fried and then a gravy/sauce richly flavoured (and coloured) with tomato ketchup is poured over them. The dish is not difficult to prepare. Here is how:


Clem's Tomato Sauce Fried Noodles

 

1. Ingredients
 

  • Wonton noodles, or Kuay Teow (rice flat noodles).
    Wonton noodles are thin, soft, flour-coated and uncooked, unlike the thicker, oily cooked yellow noodles.
     
  • Your choice of meats.
    I used seafood (prawns and Hokkaido Scallops), and chicken.
     
  • Your choice of greens; chopped to your preferred size.
    I used baby Bak Choi.
     
  • Oyster, fish, and light soy sauce.
     
  • Chopped garlic.
     
  • Chopped onion.
     
  • Condiments.


 

2. Method

Deep fry the wonton noodles
 

  • Heat up plenty of cooking oil (enough to fully cover the noodles during frying).
    Ensure that the temperature is high (between 160 and 175oC) enough or else the noodles will not crisp (if not fried properly, the noodles will turn out hard and not fluffed up).
     
  • Loosen up the noodles and then gather them up into serving-sized balls.
    Toss each ball into the hot oil and fry until golden.
    You may choose to use a suitable implement (I used a bamboo skewer) to hold up a portion of the noodles and then them baste the standing up portion with hot oil via a ladle so that "standing (or flying) noodles" can be produced (see photo above).
     
  • When done, set the fried noodles on top of paper towels to drain, and then set aside.
     

Cook the Tomato Sauce gravy
 

  • Fry the chopped onions in some oil.
     
  • When the onions are about to brown, add the garlic and fry momentarily.
     
  • Add chicken slices.
     
  • When the chicken has turned colour, add the prawns and when these have turned colour, add the scallops.
     
  • Add oyster sauce and light soy sauce to taste.
    I use a liberal amount of oyster sauce.
     
  • Add an amount of tomato sauce which is sufficient to colour the gravy to a good red and bring sufficient tomato sauce taste to it (your choice).
     
  • Now add boiling water to the fry to an amount which you want for the gravy (you will want the fried noodles to be decently covered by gravy so so your best to judge how water is needed to be added - err on the side of a lower amount; more can be added later if there is not enough gravy.
    Bring the whole thing to the boil.
     
  • Prepare a cornflour (starch) slurry (a tablespoon in some 30 - 50 mL of room temperature water); stir well and then drip drop into the boiling gravy.
    Stir well while adding the slurry.
     
  • Add your greens (I usually add these at this stage but you can do it earlier).
     
  • Taste and adjust the taste with soy, oyster and tomato sauce as may be needed.
    You can add your favourite condiments at this stage.
    I used white pepper and a liberal amount of Knorr Chicken Stock Powder.
     
  • Adjust the final thickness of the gravy with starch slurry if needed.
     
  • When all is to your satisfaction, ladle out portion of the gravy onto the top of the previously fried noodles and serve quickly before the noodles get soggy.
     

ENJOY!

 

*Kuching people use the term "tomato sauce" rather than "tomato ketchup", which is a bit strange given the probable etymology of the word "ketchup" which is said to originate from the Hokkien word kê-chiap which means fish sauce.

 

 

 

All my cooking (some without recipes) can be found here (click on each photo to go to that dish's page):

 

http://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo696.html

 

Video presentations can be found here:

Earlier days: https://youtu.be/BWyHY1h9Y5s

More recently: https://youtu.be/cph2XmwuQLU

 

 

www.clemkuek.com

 

25 August 2025
 

 



Created by Clem Kuek